Discussion Forum > Back to the fundamental. AF4 and Omnifocus
I like your approach: Projects organized together on Mac. Tasks unorganized in AF. Also, the approach of using AF to get a variety of stuff done is much better than focusing only on the big important items. Among other reasons, focusing only on important items leaves little "also important" items forgotten.
October 6, 2011 at 22:23 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
Hi Alan, Glad you like it. In my search of the graal, like you and many I tried almost everything.
I noticed something strange I don't really understand. May be Mark our mentor has noticed the same thing. When things are took much organized like on a database for example I feel disorganized and lost. In fact my brain treats every item on the same level. When things are one after one there is a real feeling of time. For me it is like a guide line which help my brain (or my intuition) to do the right choice at the right time. So I agree David Allen when he says that the brain is not very clever because it always reminds you stuff in an inappropriate place. i.e. buying some bred when you are under the shower...
More than a strict organization I need my stuff like if they where in bigs warehouses when I can search and search. The result may be a little loose of time but the real result is the making of the right choices eliminating inappropriate projects and items. This is the reason why I am living little by little softwares for a more easy organization. Ie projects on my Mac (.page or word) and mixed stuff in AF4.
From GTD I keep the collecting process and the Processing after collecting When papers are in my real INBOX.
I also Keep the working on project and the daily and weekly review.
Example. Today I red my all AF4 list and I put at the end of my paper note book even projects coming from the list that were a project. So i put a red dash in front of every cashable items. Of course I crossed them little by little. At the end I red again and dismiss everything that did not stand at me. I will see them next week.
I also reported tasks coming from the reading of my weekly mails and my diary. And the projects coming from Omnifocus I really intended (MUST DO) to do next week. Most of them are some tasks I have to prepare for future appointments. The weekly review thanks to AF4 was done in 10 mn. I will read that list on monday and cross what is necessary.
What I noticed about this is simple. Less things are strictly organized better I am and better I feel. Every time I try to organize things very strictly it is a terrible washout !
TOO MUCH ORGANIZATION KILLS ORGANIZATION. That's all I can say.
Please don't ask my why I won't be able to answer !
I noticed something strange I don't really understand. May be Mark our mentor has noticed the same thing. When things are took much organized like on a database for example I feel disorganized and lost. In fact my brain treats every item on the same level. When things are one after one there is a real feeling of time. For me it is like a guide line which help my brain (or my intuition) to do the right choice at the right time. So I agree David Allen when he says that the brain is not very clever because it always reminds you stuff in an inappropriate place. i.e. buying some bred when you are under the shower...
More than a strict organization I need my stuff like if they where in bigs warehouses when I can search and search. The result may be a little loose of time but the real result is the making of the right choices eliminating inappropriate projects and items. This is the reason why I am living little by little softwares for a more easy organization. Ie projects on my Mac (.page or word) and mixed stuff in AF4.
From GTD I keep the collecting process and the Processing after collecting When papers are in my real INBOX.
I also Keep the working on project and the daily and weekly review.
Example. Today I red my all AF4 list and I put at the end of my paper note book even projects coming from the list that were a project. So i put a red dash in front of every cashable items. Of course I crossed them little by little. At the end I red again and dismiss everything that did not stand at me. I will see them next week.
I also reported tasks coming from the reading of my weekly mails and my diary. And the projects coming from Omnifocus I really intended (MUST DO) to do next week. Most of them are some tasks I have to prepare for future appointments. The weekly review thanks to AF4 was done in 10 mn. I will read that list on monday and cross what is necessary.
What I noticed about this is simple. Less things are strictly organized better I am and better I feel. Every time I try to organize things very strictly it is a terrible washout !
TOO MUCH ORGANIZATION KILLS ORGANIZATION. That's all I can say.
Please don't ask my why I won't be able to answer !
October 7, 2011 at 13:36 |
FocusGuy.
FocusGuy.
Jupiter, I think the answer is that you have to get the rational and the intuitive parts of the mind in balance. This is not easy to achieve for most people, but it is what all my AF/SF systems have been aiming at.
If you try to organize yourself "rationally" you are leaving the intuitive parts of your mind out of the equation.
If you try to organize yourself "rationally" you are leaving the intuitive parts of your mind out of the equation.
October 8, 2011 at 1:28 |
Mark Forster
Mark Forster
Thank you Mark. I am going to think about this.
October 8, 2011 at 11:57 |
FocusGuy.
FocusGuy.
Try also to be intuitive about this :--)
October 8, 2011 at 14:42 |
Alan Baljeu
Alan Baljeu
YES indeed ;-)
For Who is interested about what happened and wish more explanation you may have a look at my last thread on my blog. http://gtdway.blogspot.com/
For Who is interested about what happened and wish more explanation you may have a look at my last thread on my blog. http://gtdway.blogspot.com/
October 8, 2011 at 17:10 |
FocusGuy.
FocusGuy.
<<you may have a look at my last thread on my blog. http://gtdway.blogspot.com/>>
That is quite a dashing profile photo, Jupiter!
That is quite a dashing profile photo, Jupiter!
October 8, 2011 at 18:35 |
Bernie
Bernie
Finally I came back to autofocus 4 for my lists as I did before and explained many times here. For the project I kept some on paper, some on My Mac and some on Omnifocus.
I think little by little all my project will be centralized on my Mac but, for acting, NOTHING, NOTHING is WORTH autofocus on my paper A4 notebook.
Tonight, I have strictly controlled my action today wondering what I did, why and how and I did it. I just noticed that I followed my instinct for doing thing and even If I have 2 full A4 pages on my notebook and observed hat I did about a quarter of a page I must admit now that I did THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS TODAY. Just wanted to share this with you !
AF4 is indeed incredible !